1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process, composition and use of marking bodies for marking and identifying pourable materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is frequently desired to mark or identify the origin and quality of pourable materials which are frequently used in large quantities and which can be natural substances. For this purpose records can be made, or e.g. plates can be prepared on which corresponding record entries are made. This is relatively complicated and disadvantageous, because such records or plates can be lost. Even with the aid of detailed descriptions of such materials on delivery notes and/or invoices or packings, the problem is still not solved. Thus, for example, in the case of greened areas, and in particular on roofs, use is made of substrates, drainage bulk and filling materials of different qualities, which are based on specific starting material, formulations and production processes.
In general building planners, architects or contractors are not in a position to evaluate the quality or origin of the materials used. The obvious appearance or characteristics establishable by manual samples generally differs, sometimes even between individual batches, due to the varying appearances of natural materials, different origins and frequently changing moisture contents. However, it is virtually indispensable for the responsible parties to establish on delivery and installation whether the requested quality has also been supplied and installed, particularly as architects have a long-term planning responsibility. A contractor must be able to expect that the promised characteristics or effects are actually obtained. Objectively, up to now, the characteristics or properties of such substrates or materials have only been possible by analysis at specialized institutes or laboratories. However, the testing methods can last several weeks or months and lead to costs which can exceed the material price, depending on the object size. Obviously, high-quality substrates and drainage bulk materials are much more expensive than those with a lower quality. It is therefore clear that it is advantageous and important to be able to rapidly and easily distinguish such pourable materials on the basis of their origin and/or quality. Thus, even after purchase has taken place and independently of whether supplied loose or in packed form and both at the time of use or installation and at a distant time, it is possible to establish from where they come and that their action has not been impaired, although their overall appearance may have been considerably changed.
This problem is solved according to the process of the invention by the use of a marking body within a substrate material. In addition, the present invention can also be described as the use of one or more natural or synthetic, not difficultly or easily degradable or decomposable foreign bodies for marking and identifying pourable substances or materials which can be differentiated visibly as a result of their colors, consistency or some other property from the loose or bulk materials to be identified, without impairing the function of the latter.